Doak Walker Award watch list 2017: 5 favorites to win
By John Buhler
Saquon Barkley
Running Back, Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are back under head coach James Franklin. It wasn’t pretty early in his tenure, but the Nittany Lions caught fire from October on in 2016 to win the Big Ten Championship Game over the Wisconsin Badgers. Penn State can definitely win the College Football Playoff. A big reason for that is junior running back Saquon Barkley.
Barkley has two other great players with him on the Penn State offense in quarterback Trace McSorley and tight end Mike Gesciki, but it’s clear that Barkley is the best player on this Nittany Lions team. He has already rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons in State College. There is no way he doesn’t make it three in a row before going pro after this year.
At 5-foot-11, 223 pounds, Barkley is the ideal size to be a dominant running back at any level of football. In two years with the Nittany Lions, he has 454 carries for 2,572 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. As a pass catcher, Barkley has 48 receptions for 563 yards and five touchdowns.
Next: 20 Greatest College Running Backs In The Modern Era
Not to say that an 1,800-yard rushing season is on the horizon for Barkley, but he should eclipse 1,500 on the ground and over 12 rushing touchdowns. If he matches last year’s totals and Penn State is again a playoff contender, this might be his Doak Walker Award to lose. Barkley has to also be in the conversation for the 2017 Heisman Trophy before the season starts. He’s just that good.